Display tray



Jan. 10, 1939. F, WI HQLDERLE ET AL 2,143,624`

DISPLAY TRAY Filed Mayv 25, `1957 2 Sheets-Sheet l 'wei/f ATTORNEY.

Jan. m, 1939. F1. W. HQLERLE lET AL 2J4324 DISPLAY TRAY 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 25, 1937 l f f 1 l l l f /l INVENTO 207e lll Patented Jan. 10, 1939 UN ITE D1 S TATE S PATENT OFFICE DISPLAY TRAY Application May 25, 1937, Serial No. 144,684

8 Claims.

This invention relates to a knockdown display tray, and has for its object to afford a construetion comprising separable and independent licor members and partitions, with provision for readily assembling the partitions in place between adjacent oor members.

A further purpose of the invention is to afford a metal display tray construction including partitions and floor members, in which the partitions can be readily and quickly brought into interlocking relation with adjacent oor members located on opposite sides of each partition, the partitions acting to retain the floor members in close fitting and accurately alined relation to the partition.

Still a further object of the invention is to afford a structure with an arrangement of parts such that where a wider than normal tray unit is desired, a partition may be omitted and the adjacent iioor portions locked together in close tting juxtaposition and accurately alined, thus afiording a tray unit of double the normal capacity where a partition is inserted between each pair of adjacent oor portions.

An additional purpose of the invention is to provide a knockdown display tray construction that is economical to produce, simple and practical in its operation, and is particularly adapted to be used in conjunction with a glass display case, permitting the display tray units to be readily positioned in the case as requirements demand, or quickly removable therefrom for cleaning purposes or replacement.

To these and other ends, the invention consists in the` construction and arrangement of f parts that will appear clearly from the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, the novel features being pointed out in the claims following the specifica.- tion.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a transverse vertical sectional view through a display case, with a display tray arranged therein incorporating one embodiment of the invention, illustrating a door member in section and a partition in side elevation, in locked relation to the floor member;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of one of the partitions;

Fig. 3 is a perspective View of one of the oor members;

Fig. 4 is a Vertical sectional View on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction indicated;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the locking means employed for holding two adjacent oor members (Cl. S12- 118) together when the partition is omitted, to afford a larger tray unit;

Fig. 6 is a rear elevation of the structure, showing the central partition omitted and the adjacent floor members locked together by the device illustrated in Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a plan view;

Fig. 8 is a detail horizontal sectional view on the line 8--8 of Fig. 6 looking downwardly;

Fig. 9 is a detail vertical sectional view on the line 9-9 of Fig. 7, looking from right to left, and

Fig. 10 is a horizontal sectional view on the line Iil-Illot Fig. 9.v

Referring more particularly to the drawings in which like reference numerals refer to the same parts throughout the several views, and to Fig. 1, the invention is illustrated as applied to a display case including a base I, a top horizontal glass panel 2, a downwardly inclined intermediate glass panel 3, and a front vertical panel 4, the tray units being positionable in the display case and removable therefrom through the rear.

The invention may be carried out in a variety of ways, the present disclosure being merely illustrative of one practical embodiment, and in the arrangement shown, there are employed a series of floor members or units as shown in Fig. 3, each comprising a horizontal portion 6, a rear vertical portion 1, a downwardly and forwardly inclined portion 8, a front vertical portion 9, and a front horizontal bottom portion I0.

The floor members such as just described are separated and held together by a series of vertical partitions removably positionable between them. Each partition is constructed as shown in Fig. 2 at Il, and includes a bottom edge I2 adapted to rest upon the base of the display case flush with the horizontal bottom portion Il] of the floor member, an upper edge I3 adapted to lie flush with the upper edge of thevrear wall 'I of the iloor member, a downwardly and forwardly inclined edge I4 which ts closely against the under surface of the inclined glass panel 3, a front vertical edge I5'A which liesagainst the vertical glass panel 4 of the -display case, and an inclined rear edge I6 which extends parallel to the vertical post or pillar I'l of the display case and is preferably flush with the inner edge thereof. Each partition is designed to t between adjacent floor members and to engage therewith so as to retain the oor members firmly in close relationship thereto and correct alinement, and to accomplish this, the partitions and floor members are provided with the interlocking means now to be described. l

the floor member, are arranged to be engaged by. l cooperating locking means on opposite sides of the partition I I Each of said partition locking means includesY a base portion 23 which is welded or otherwise permanently attached to the partition, and an integrally attached flaring portion or lug 24, said lugs 24 being located preferably at the two points shown on the partition in Fig. 2, for cooperation with the corresponding lugs 2| on the adjacent floor members. rl`hus when the partition I I is inserted by being pushed forwardly between two adjacent floor members, the upper part of the partition extends vertically above the portion 6, as shown in Fig. 1, and the lugs 24 on opposite sides of the partition engage opposite sides of the lugs 2| on the adjacent floor members, with the rear ends of the lugs 2| abutting against the right angled base portions of the lugs 2L!- as shown in Fig. 1. Thus the floor members are drawn toward the partition and firmly held in place in alined relationship, as shown in Figs. 1, 4, 6 and 7.

When thus located, the partitions together with the floor members afford a series of separate display trays or units to receive different kinds of candy or other merchandise, which latter will fill the space between adjacent partitions II and. from the bottom'horizontal portion iii of the display unit to the top vertical portion 'I thereof.

AEach display tray is normally of the width of the floor member shown in Fig. 3 and deiinedv by the two upstanding partitions adjacent to the opposite edges thereof, but in some cases it is desirable to provide a display tray occupying the width of two floor members, in which case one vertical partition is omitted andthe floor members held together by the structure that will now be described.

Referring to Figs. 5, 6, 9 and 10 there is employed a locking means such, for example, as a channel member 26 provided at-its center with the two spaced and downwardly curved lugs 2l which are separated by a tapered recess 28. The channel member 25 is positioned by a horizontal movement in such a manner as to engage above and below the lugs 2B and 2|, as shown in Figs. 6, 9 and l0, while the lugs 2l engage on opposite sides of the center lugs 2|, thus drawing the two floor members into close juxtarelationship and locking them .in such position. The upper and lower portions of the channel member engaging above and below the lugs 2 I, hold the adjacent floor members accurately alined horizontally r'mly against relative displacement. It will be understood that two channel mmebers 255 are employed both at the front and rear of the floor members to cooperate with both sets of lugs 2Q and 2| so that the adjacent floor members are alined throughout, from front to back, as shown clearly in Fig. 6, thus affording a tray unit of double the normal width when desired. Any particular partition I3 may be thus omitted and the adjacent floor members held together by similar channel members 26. 3| designate lugs xedly carried at the front edge of the partition on opposite sides thereof, and engageable with the vertical portions 9 of the floor members, see Fig. 1, to effect proper relative positioning between these parts.

This arrangement aiiords a removable, knockdown display tray that can be quickly assembled, is of light weight, can be readily removed for cleaning the tray and the interior of the case, and which is of flexible design so as to permit of the formation of display trays of different widths. The units are portable and when assembled in the manner described, the partitions and floor members are held together rigidly and accurately.

While the invention has been described with relation to the particular construction shown, it

, is not conned to this precise embodiment, and

the application is intended to cover such changes orA modifications as may come within the purposes of the invention or the scope of the following claims.

We claim:

l. A display tray comprising horizontally disposed floor members having interlocking means on their under surfaces spaced slightly from their side edges, and an intermediate vertical partition removably positionable between the floor members and provided with interlocking means arranged oppositely on both sides and engageable at the front and back of the partition with said interlocking means on the floor members by a horizontal movement acting to draw the edges of the floor members against the partition.

2. A display tray comprising horizontally disposed floor members having depending lugs carried by the under surfaces thereof at the front and back, and an intermediate vertical partition removably positionable between said floor members and having laterally extending lugs arranged oppositely on both sides thereof at the front and back of the partition cooperating with the depending lugs on the floor members when the partition member is moved horizontally and acting to draw the edges of the floor members against the partition.

3. A display tray comprising horizontally disposed iioor members having interlocking means secured at the front and back to the under surfaces thereof spaced slightly from their side edges, an intermediate vertical partition removably positionable between said oor members and extending thereabove, and interlocking means at the front and back arranged oppositely on both sides of the partition and cooperating with said interlocking means on the ioor members when the partition member is moved horizontally and acting to draw the edges of the floor members against the partition.

4. A display case comprising horizontally disposed floor members having depending lugs spaced slightly from their meeting edges at the front and back, an intermediate vertical partition removably positionable between said oor members and having laterally projecting lugs arranged oppositely on both sides thereof at the front and back for cooperative engagement with the lugs on the iioor members when the partition is inserted between them by a horizontal movement and acting to draw the edges of the floor members against the partition.

5. A display tray comprising floor members having depending lugs carried by the under surfaces thereof, and locking means removably engaging the top and bottom edges of said lugs to u aline the floor members horizontally and engaging the lugs adjacent to the meeting edges of the floor members on the sides thereof to draw the floor members into juxtarelation to each other.

6. A display tray comprising oor members having depending lugs carried by the under surfaces thereof and spaced from the oor members, of a removable channel member positionable to embrace the top and bottom edges of said lugs and provided with means embracing the sides of the lugs adjacent to the meeting edges of the floor members and acting to draw the latter together and also maintain them in horizontal alinement.

7. A display tray comprising horizontally disposed oor members having locking members secured thereto, and an intermediate vertical partition which is removably positionable between the floor members and provided With means arranged oppostely on both sides having interlocking engagement at the front and back of the partition with the locking members on the floor members when moved horizontally and acting to draw the edges of the floor members against the partition.

8. A display tray comprising horizontally disposed oor members having depending lugs carried by the undersurfaces thereof and arranged oppositely to each other and spaced slightly from the side edges of the oor members, an intermediate vertical partition removably positionable between said oor members and having lateral projecting lugs arranged oppositely on both sides for engagement with the depending lugs at adjacent edges of said iioor members when the partition is moved horizontally between said floor members, the lugs on the latter cooperating with the lugs on the floor members to 4dravv both floor members against opposite sides of the partition.

FREDERICK W. HOLDERLE. CARL L. HOLDERLE. 

